A Pueblo Democrat said today she plans to petition onto a recall ballot because she wants to make sure if Sen. Angela Giron[2] is booted from office a Republican doesn’t take her place.

Sonia Negrete-Winn has until Monday to turn in 1,000 valid voter signatures from Democrats to make the ballot. A Republican, retired deputy police chief George Rivera[3], also is collecting signatures among his party members. Rivera said his wife, a Democrat, is one of the many people who urged him to run.

Giron, a Pueblo Democrat, and Senate President John Morse[4], a Colorado Springs Democrat, face separate recall elections[5] in their counties on Sept. 10 over stricter gun measures they supported in the 2013 session.

Pueblo County[6] voters will be asked whether Giron should be recalled, and then will be provided a list of candidate names to choose from as a successor should the recall effort be successful. So far, Negrete-Winn and Rivera are the only ones to seek petition forms in Senate District 3, the secretary of state office reports. Negrete-Winn, a social worker who has lived in Pueblo for seven years, said she does not support the recall, and wants to ensure a Democrat holds that seat.

Senate District 3, which includes about 90 percent of Pueblo County, has 70,719 voters and almost 50 percent are Democrats, according to secretary of state records.

Giron said today she has support from Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters and expects to survive the recall.